Tomato Bisque
This is a rich and flavourful soup that kids and adults enjoy. I freeze it in small portions and re-heat for the kids to take to school as a hot lunch. It's made without dairy, if you omit the addition of Parmesan cheese at the end. Family favorite!
This is a rich and flavourful soup that kids and adults enjoy. I freeze it in small portions and re-heat for the kids to take to school as a hot lunch. It's made without dairy, if you omit the addition of Parmesan cheese at the end. Family favorite!
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 8 strips bacon cut into small pieces
- 2 large spanish onions finely diced
- 4 stalks celery finely diced
- 2 large carrots peeled and finely diced
- 8 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 5 ripe roma tomatoes pureed
- 28 oz san marzano canned whole tomatoes including the juice
- 4 tbsp butter melted
- 8 tbsp flour
- 1 handful fresh parsley
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme remove leaves from the stems
- 1 parmesan cheese rind optional
- Carbohydrate 39.5740812981971 g
- Cholesterol 30.3315625187135 mg
- Fat 12.3572873625988 g
- Fiber 3.94175569742535 g
- Protein 15.998007778921 g
- Saturated Fat 5.40161836777473 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (759g)
- Sodium 931.746772553302 mg
- Sugar 35.6323256007718 g
- Trans Fat 0.96837606489489 g
- Calories 333 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat and cook the pieces of bacon until all the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp.
- Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined bowl and set aside. There should be about 4 tbsp of bacon fat left in the pot... Use this to saute the vegetables (yum!), OR drain it and use a lighter oil (canola or olive).
- Add the onions, celery, carrots and garlic to the pot (salt and pepper if desired) and saute until very soft but do not let brown. Stir often!! This can take a while depending on the size of your pot, but be patient... the flavour of the soup depends on this step.
- Add the pureed and canned tomatoes, parsley, thyme and bay leaf. Simmer for about 20 minutes, uncovered.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter and stir in the flour to make a paste. Stir the paste into the simmering soup and continue stirring until it starts to thicken. Add the chicken stock and stir.
- Allow the soup to simmer for at least 15 minutes, covered with a lid.
- Remove the bay leaf and use an immersion blender to puree the soup to a very smooth consistency.
- If using, add the Parmesan cheese rind to the soup and turn the heat down very low. After about 10-15 minutes the rind should be soft and may even have some cheese melting off. This adds a nice flavour to the soup. Remove the rind and discard.
- Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Ladle into bowls and serve with the bacon crumbles. Croutons are great with it too!
- This can also be frozen (cool completely first).
Sweating the mirepoix slowly without browning establishes the foundational sweetness required for a balanced tomato base. Cooking onions, celery, carrots, and garlic over moderate heat requires patience; rushing this process leads to sharp, raw aromatics rather than a mellow foundation. Rendered pork fat from the bacon provides the cooking medium, infusing the vegetables with savory depth before any liquid enters the pot. Combining fresh roma puree with canned San Marzano tomatoes balances seasonal brightness with the concentrated acidity of preserved fruit.
Texture and Thickening Mechanics
Building a roux separately with melted butter and flour before incorporating it into the simmering liquid prevents lumps from forming. Whisking this paste directly into the broth thickens the starches efficiently during the 15-minute covered simmer. Dropping a Parmesan cheese rind into the low-heat finish introduces umami without altering the smooth emulsification achieved by the immersion blender.
- Blend the soup thoroughly while hot to ensure the cellulose from the carrot and celery fibers breaks down completely.
- Cool the finished soup entirely before freezing to prevent ice crystal formation and separation upon reheating.
- Discard the remaining cheese rind before serving once it softens and releases its fats into the broth.
